


PETS

by Seer_of_Soul



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, But everybody knows, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Puppy Zack Fair, Soft Cloud Strife, cloud is secretly soft, cloud is weak
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:42:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24782515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seer_of_Soul/pseuds/Seer_of_Soul
Summary: Cloud has a tendency to find strays, or sometimes they find him.The SOLDIERs are strays and decide they like Cloud. Chaos to come later.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	PETS

**Author's Note:**

> I am beginning to sense a theme with the stories I write.... =3=

Cloudy: Tifa.  
Tifa: ?  
Cloudy: I can’t make it tonight.  
Cloudy: I found a puppy by the road.   
Cloudy: It gave me a look.  
Cloudy: I couldn’t leave it.  
Tifa: Well that bodes well for your self control. XD   
Tifa: If the poor thing could make you completely cave on your ‘my apartment is my solitude’ thing with a look…  
Tifa: You’re gonna spoil the sweet thing rotten.   
Cloudy: No  
Tifa: Yep!  
Cloudy: No.  
Cloudy: I will not.  
Cloudy: I’m not keeping it. It’s just until the storm passes.   
Tifa: I believe you Strife… (￢‿￢ )   
Cloudy: -sent you a photo-  
Cloudy: The dog.  
Tifa: …you are doomed.

Cloud looked down at the small puppy, still soaked from the rain, and who was still staring up at him with the biggest puppy eyes he had ever seen. He could actually feel his resolve crumbling under the dog’s stare. “Stop that,” he chided. He stuffed the still buzzing phone into his back pocket and turned away from the puppy, reaching into the cabinet behind him to get a clean towel. He had dumped the puppy on the fluffy shower mat, figuring he’d shut them both off in the bathroom until they were dry to spare the carpet of the rest of his apartment as much as possible. 

The puppy whimpered as he turned away, then immediately perked up as he turned back around, fluffy towel in hand. Its ears were so expressive. And its eyes shone brightly. Maybe… Tifa was right.

One hour ago…

The evening was pretty dark already, since the storm clouds had rolled in much earlier than expected. Cloud was silently cursing whatever deity was responsible for him getting caught out in the rain and soaked. It was probably Odin. It was _definitely_ Odin. 

Odin was the patron deity of Nibbleheim. He was supposed to protect the villagers and keep them safe. Maybe Odin was still sour at Cloud for leaving Nibbleheim before he came of age. Probably. Stuff like this didn’t happen to Tifa after all.

Cloud grimaced and rolled to a stop by the side of the road, pulling up against the sidewalk. He jumped off Fenrir and scampered over to a little alcove doorway to a darkened shop. He wanted to text Tifa and let her know he would not be stopping by the bar, since she’d kick him out anyways if he walked in this wet.

Cloud pulled out his phone, which was thankfully dry on the inside pocket of his leather jacket. He started typing the message, struggling a bit with his riding gloves, only to freeze when he felt something touch his pantleg. He whipped his torso around, not daring to move his leg, and looked down at the black scraggily thing that was pressed up against the back of his calf. 

The thing blinked up at him and made a surprisingly loud whimpering sound. Cloud blinked back at it, then felt himself breathe a sigh of relief when he realized it wasn’t some kind of demon trying to chew his leg off. It was a puppy. It was all black, kinda mangey, covered in dirt, now mud in the rain, but its eyes were bright blue. It was kinda small, with big floppy ears, a long fluffy tail, and big paws. Cloud bent down a little to pat the puppy on the head. 

“Hey there… did I take your hiding spot? Sorry, I’ll go soon.”

The puppy whined a little as it pushed its head against his hand. It looked up at Cloud again, almost pleadingly. Cloud swallowed. “Oh no. Nuh uh.” He stepped away from the puppy, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. He could text Tifa from home. 

Cloud made it all of two steps towards Fenrir before the little black blur slammed into the back of his legs again. Cloud’s mouth went dry. He looked down, seeing the puppy clinging to his leg, holding onto his pant leg as best as his paws would allow. “No…,” Cloud said softer. The puppy made the most heartbreaking sound Cloud had ever heard. 

Cloud forced himself away, despite the tearing feeling in his chest, walking right up to Fenrir and swinging his leg over the bike. He paused. He couldn’t help it. He looked back. The puppy was a little black bump on the sidewalk, curled up as tight as it could get, watching Cloud abandon it. Cloud felt his heart finally break. He let out a long sigh. “Fine. Fine…!” He leaned down, extending his hand towards the puppy. “Come ‘ere.” 

The puppy’s head perked up immediately, eyes wide. It looked between Cloud’s face and his hand. “Come on,” Cloud prompted again. The puppy barreled into his hand a moment later, wiggling and licking his riding glove. 

Cloud scooped it up and tucked it into his leather jacket. He cinched the decorative belt of the jacket under the puppy, making a little pouch, and zipped it up to his throat. He felt the puppy nestle against his stomach, settling in for the ride. Cloud gently rested a hand on the bulge in his jacket. His stomach already felt warmer. He drove home very carefully and very slowly.

Presently…

After drying the puppy off, Cloud figured he should warm up and dry off too. He was already chilled, so he toweled himself off, with his own towel not the puppy’s, tossed his wet clothes over the tub, and changed into the warmest pajamas he owned. They were ones he’d had since Nibbleheim, much too big, thick, warm, and soft. Cloud sighed and closed his eyes as he nested down on his couch, surrounding himself with the fluffiest blankets he had. 

He heard a small, insistent yip from the floor. Cloud cracked an eye open and looked down at the puppy on the floor. It yipped again. Cloud sighed and leaned over, picking it up and tucking it into a loose corner of the blanket. He was not spoiling it. He was getting it warm, which was very important. Tifa was not right, which was also important.

Cloud blinked, looking down in surprise. The puppy had somehow tunneled its way into the middle of the blankets, and settled itself in Cloud’s lap. Cloud lifted the blanket just enough to see the puppy give a huge yawn, then close its eyes and lay its head against Cloud’s thigh. Cloud stared at it until his phone chimed with another text message. 

Tifa: I’m closing up now.  
Tifa: I’ll come by tomorrow and bring you some stuff you need.  
Tifa: You better name it before I come by tomorrow, or else I’m telling everyone its name is ‘Cloud jr.’

Cloud scowled at the messages. Eventually he went to the internet. He typed ‘good names for dogs’ into the search bar. This did not mean he was keeping the dog. It was just something to call it other than ‘the dog’ and to appease Tifa. It didn’t mean anything….

The puppy nestled deeper into his lap, making a small content sound. Cloud sighed, resigned. Yeah, who was he kidding? He already knew… the dog was staying.

Cloud thumbed through a few lists on websites that were more ads than content, then flipped through the pictures of name lists on the images search instead. Some names were really dumb. No, he was not naming the dog ‘Rover’ or ‘Spot’. He did consider ‘Stamp’ for a while but decided against it. Eventually he gave up and just stared at the dog, formless names rolling over and over in his head. Maybe….

“How about… ‘Zack’?”

**Author's Note:**

> Short chapter fluff fic to write around my more serious fics? Sounds good. -v- b


End file.
